Mirror in the Dark
by Aeowyn Enix
Summary: Special Agents Leon S. Kennedy and Helena Harper have been sent to a remote part of Europe one year after the Tall Oaks incident for a mission concerning a new virus and human experimentation. Everything was going well until they met a mysterious young girl with a dark past hidden under a thick veil of lies and secrets.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A blaring sound pulled me out of my dreamless sleep. I sat up on the bed, trying to shake off my grogginess. The glass cell where I'm being held in allowed me to look around. It was dark everywhere, save from the red emergency light in the hallway that did a perfect job of adding extra eeriness to the deserted laboratory. The laboratory machines and equipment were as organized as usual. The surveillance cameras' light blinked on and off like fireflies. I wonder if they're still watching me…The alarm continued wailing in the background. Is the facility on lockdown? Why? Did they leave me here? I stood up, the glass paneled floor icy cold against the bare skin of my feet. The air felt chilly, as if the air conditioning was turned up too high. My white linen gown did no good shielding me from the cold. In hopes of warming myself up, I draped some of my hair over my shoulders. Better than nothing. I tentatively gave the glass door a little push. I was expecting it to stay closed, as it always does. To my surprise, it swung open. My heart gave a tiny leap. I took a step out of the cell, the cold of the metal flooring sending shivers up my spine.

The side of the hallway to my right is impossibly dark. Emergency lights facing the other laboratories on my left provided dim but ample light for me to see where I'm going. I've got no other choice then. My footsteps made no sound as I cautiously traversed the empty section. I peered through the glass of the other laboratories. I could see nothing but my reflection in the pitch-black glass. I went straight, following the emergency lights and hoped I wouldn't get lost. It felt like forever, as if I was walking in a continuous loop.

Suddenly, I found myself under the last emergency light. The alarm comes to an abrupt halt, as if it has been waiting for me all this time. An unwelcome thought enters my mind.

Is this another test?

The rest of the hallway stretched out in complete darkness. A sense of dread fills me. I can't go back. The other side's the same as this. I took a deep breath and walked into the darkness, sticking to the wall. My heart beat in my ears. I can't see anything. My ears ached from the deafening silence that enveloped the area. The alarm doesn't seem too irritating now. My hands slightly trembled against the cool wall. My eyes searched wildly for a light source. A small dot in the distance was easily spotted by my light-hungry eyes.

My legs moved seemed to move on their own and wasted no time running towards the light. I got too careless and paid for it.

I fell through an open section of the metal floor, water cushioning my fall. The water was cold as ice. I struggled to find my way up for a gulp of air. The complete darkness didn't really help. Before I knew it, my head burst above the water. The still air felt like daggers of ice on my face. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

I thought I was alone then I felt something move beneath me.

Fear flooded all through me. There was something deep under the water. My senses alerted me to get away from it immediately. The presence felt familiar and alien at the same time. I felt something like a tentacle wrap itself around my right ankle.

I only managed to let out small yelp before it pulled me down to the coldest, darkest recesses of the water.


	2. Chapter 1-The Morning Call

**Chapter One**

**The Morning Call**

June 30, 2014

One year after Tall Oaks and China

Leon S. Kennedy, a special agent working directly for the president, sat in the airport café sipping his coffee, waiting for his partner, Helena Harper. He slightly shook his head, remembering Ingrid Hunnigan's call that morning.

The phone on the bedside table drawer rang, bringing Leon out of his sound sleep rather rudely. He sleepily reached for the phone and spoke into the receiver. "Leon S. Kennedy here." The last remnants of his sleepy self were jolted awake by the ringing voice of his long-time support, Ingrid Hunnigan. "Leon, we need you at Headquarters now. We've gotten intel about a new virus in development." Leon sighed. _Two new viruses in one year?_ "Copy. I'll be there in 15."

Helena Harper sat in the conference room of Headquarters, waiting for Leon. Her hair slightly covered her face like ebony stage curtains about to close. "Helena?" Leon said, seeing Helena. She raised her head and smiled at him. "Good morning to you too." Leon sat in the spot across her. "Did Hunnigan call you too?" Leon asked, straightening himself up a bit.

"Yeah. I just came here myself. Told me about a new virus."

"Same here. Guess we're partners again, huh?"

"It's probably going to be official now."

Hunnigan walked in the conference room holding a laptop. She put it in the middle of the table and connected it to a small projector. Images of viruses in microscopic view popped up on the wall.

"Good morning, Leon, Helena. This mission's strictly top secret. The president personally handpicked you from the roster of candidates for the job. We have gotten new intel about a new virus in development called "Angel". It is the product of the mixture of viruses T, C, and G."

"T, C, and G? Is Neo-Umbrella behind this?" Helena asked a twinge of anger in her voice.

"Well, that's what you two are about to find out. There's also something or in this case, someone you need to get before going through with your main objective." Hunnigan said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Who?" Leon asked.

"A girl named Irina Yurkovich." The picture of a girl in her early teens popped up.

"What is her connection with the virus?" Helena asked, her eyes slightly narrowing.

"You're going to find out about that too. You will go to the village of Chelyabinsk in Russia where she lives."

"Russia?" Helena whispers, taking a quick glance at her partner.

"Yes. Sorry, I know it's too soon but you'll be leaving for Russia today. You'll be undercover as a married couple on vacation. Pack your bags. Good luck." Hunnigan said and started wrapping up the brief debrief session. Leon and Helena looked at each other. "To Chelyabinsk then." Helena said, a slight smile dancing along her lips.

People darted here and there in the airport. Families, businessmen, tourists walked around, clutching their bags and passports. Leon always envied people with living normal lives since the Raccoon City incident. He wanted to serve his country, sure, but one can't help missing the lives they used to live, things they used to do. For years he suffered PTSD, living his days with recurring nightmares of the hell he went through. _What I'd do for a normal life, _Leon thought, finishing off what's left of his coffee.

Helena came into the café, looking for her partner. Her mint sundress accented her curves perfectly. Leon stood up and went to her, smiling, almost not being able to keep his eyes off his partner. "Sorry I was late." Helena said, slightly blushing. "You're not late...I'm just…Early." Leon said, taking Helena's suitcase. "Yeah right. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 2-Welcome to Chelyabinsk

**Chapter Two**

**Welcome to Chelyabinsk**

A light fog hung in the air. The streetlamps glowed feebly. A few people were going about their daily business here and there, their faces showing none of the effort they were exerting averting their gaze from the two strangers walking down the street in search for the Yorobov Inn. They hauled their luggage along with them thanks to the grumpy cab driver who declined to drive them further into the village. Their footfalls subtly echoed on the wet cobblestone street.

"So, was Russia _this _delightful the last time you were here?" Helena says to her partner in mid-breath. Leon smirked. "Trust me, it was much worse." They turned a corner and found themselves in front of the Inn. If the building was to be described in only one word, it would certainly be "dreary".

A wooden sign with the picture of a sparrow painted on it hung by the entrance. "This must be the Yorobov Inn." Leon says, glancing at Helena. She stops walking abruptly, looking at the sign. "I hope inside's better than the outside," she mumbles, starting for the door.

A girl sat at the reception. She wore her platinum-blonde hair in a slightly messy braid that stuck to the back of her head. Her expressions rapidly changed from utter boredom to extreme excite the second she saw her guests enter. She straightened her multicolored sweater and made an attempt to smooth back her unruly hair. Leon and Helena made their way to the lobby and found themselves face-to-face with a flushed receptionist.

"Welcome to Yorobov Inn!" she says, her accent ringing clearly. "My name is Natalya. How may I help you today?" The scent of meat stew wafted around the place, sending Helena's empty stomach into overdrive. "A room for two please." Leon says, his eyes traveling from the thickly-curtained windows to the vase of plastic flowers on the desk. Natalya gave the two a kindly smile and looks through something in the computer hidden behind the desk. "Ah! We have a room available, Mr.…" She says, looking up at Leon. "Uh…Hillcrest." He says, hearing Helena stifle a snicker. Natalya smiles, her fingers tapping along the keyboard. She hands Leon a key with a porcelain tag with a picture of a rose intricately painted on it. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Hillcrest!" Natalya says, her gray eyes glistening.

A boy slightly older than her comes into the lobby, his features giving away that he is somehow related to Natalya. "_Nikolai! Please escort our guests to their room._" Natalya says in Russian to her brother. Nikolai bends down for Leon and Helena's luggage and starts going up the stairs. "Dinner's just about ready. Please come down later if you would want some." Natalya says, smiling at the two walking up the wooden stairs. "Thank you!" Helena calls back.

Hunnigan's face pops up on the phone's screen. "How's Chelyabinsk working for you?" she says, not bothering to hide the amusement in her eyes. "Perfectly fine, actually. Dinner was nice. Makes me kind of forget that we're on a mission." Helena says, smiling at Hunnigan. Leon shakes his head. Helena stands up and makes her way to the bathroom. "Irina Yurkovich, right?" Leon says, frowning at the fact that he and Helena are on a "need-to-know" mission. "Yes. Find Yuri and Olga Yurkovich and you will find her. She is a critical part of this mission and you better get her as soon as possible." Hunnigan says, her voice firm.

"Why can't you tell us more about her?" Leon asks, attempting to squeeze a little bit more information out of her. Hunnigan only narrows her eyes. "I can't. Direct orders from the higher-ups." She says, a sympathetic look on her face. "Okay. We'll get her as soon as we can. Kennedy out." The screen turns dark. "_There's something wrong here…_" Leon thinks to himself. He leans on the window, wishing their mission would be better for once.


End file.
